American Dream Theme Essay Research Paper Introduction — страница 2

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SOULS OF BLACKS FOLKS (1903) which was a call to action after decades of social injustice following the end of the Civil War. This book was one of the most prophetic and influential of the 20th century. SCOTT FITZGERALD deflates the WINTER DREAMS of her romantic protagonists. John Steinbeck s Leader of the People delivers an eulogy/applause/praise to those whose dreams died with the end of the Frontier expansion. Events of recent history, like the 2 World Wars, the Great Depression following the Stock Market Crash ,or the fear of the nuclear bomb (Cold War) caused writers to re-examine the traditional values and dreams that seemed inapt/insufficient/inadequate to the modern life. Many writers of modern fiction produced futuristic works set in a technological world that explore

the American Nightmare theme. Kurt Vonnegut Jr s Harrison Bergeron portrays a society that forbids talent, art, beauty and creativity; a society that enforces/constrains mediocrity through a handicapped general.(same kind of books as the 2 English writers Aldous Huxley->Brave New World and George Orwell ->1984) Another example of the themes of the American Dream and Nightmare, is The Glass Menagerie . The Dream is represented by the romantic lighting, by the nostalgic music and all the background. The Nightmare is suggested by the claustrophobic tenements and the suffocating atmosphere. The young narrator s dreams, the mother s attempts to recover her past, the daughter s fragile fantasies cannot remain intact in this shabby/mean/ragged urban setting. To those who fear that

faith and optimism (American Dream) have disappeared in the 20th century; WILLIAM FAULKNER in his Nobel Prize speech points towards the aspirations of modern humanity and compassion. He reminds the writers of their special duty to lift the Heart of Humanity by chronicling it s nobility and encouraging his dream.(see the speech)